The recent opening of Simpson’s store in Oregon wine country signals the latest evolution in an industry going mainstream. The Portland market is saturated with marijuana dispensaries, prompting a handful of entrepreneurs to set their sights on a different crowd: tourists.

Starting in just a few weeks, medical marijuana dispensaries will be able to open their doors to people 21 and older, and that includes out-of-state visitors.

For entrepreneurs like Simpson, whose love of marijuana is matched by his love of pinot noir, introducing cannabis to a region synonymous with fine wine makes sense.

“They have done a really good job of making the consumer experience of going out and tasting wine fun and educational,” said Simpson, owner of Chalice, a chain of marijuana stores. “You talk about what soil it was grown in and the environment. Was it sun, or shaded or a cooler climate? Cannabis is very similar.”

The way marijuana growers see it, Oregon produces more than sought-after wines and craft beers. A well-established medical marijuana culture and the prime growing conditions of southern Oregon have transformed the state into a prolific producer of high-grade cannabis.

Forget ski resorts and prize-winning maple syrup, the big tourism draw for the small New England state of Vermont could soon be marijuana, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Led by Gov. Peter Shumlin, lawmakers in Vermont are eagerly exploring the prospects of legalizing a drug which for a number of years has been as much a part of the local culture as tie-dyes, psychedelic music and hippie farmers. The state commissioned the RAND Corp. to look at what it would mean for the Green Mountain State to become the official beachhead of legal recreational pot sales on the East Coast.

Vermonters already have a considerable taste for marijuana, smoking or otherwise consuming 15 to 25 metric tons last year – as much as $330 worth of pot per resident. But many, many more regular consumers of cannabis live within a couple of hundred miles of the state’s borders. One million of them, to be precise, or 40 for each Vermonter who regularly consumes marijuana, according to RAND.

“An influx of tourists can be expected immediately after stores open,” Rand’s report said, noting that the expected influx would dwarf the experience of the western states that have already legalized recreational sales.

“This is a much larger pool of potential visitors than in the areas surrounding Colorado or Washington, even in absolute terms, and massively larger relative to the in-state population,” which is just 626,000.

“This is just awesome,” said Mike Goldstein of Staten Island, N.Y., who visited Denver with three friends in early December. “I think it should be legal everywhere. You raise taxes, and you take it out of the hands of organized crime.”

Goldstein said the reason for his visit was “49 percent weed and 51 percent Broncos,” as his group prepared to go to the Denver vs. Buffalo Bills game.

The day before the game, the Goldstein contingent met at a downtown Denver hotel for an organized bus tour of marijuana dispensaries and cultivation facilities.

“It’s been quite a year,” said JJ Walker, CEO of Denver-based My 420 Tours, which claims to be North America’s first cannabis tour company.

Scharf says the state gets 14 million visitors a year, and he doesn’t see marijuana as a significant factor in those numbers.

However, Walker bus tour company — one of at least 18 operating in the state — has provided tours to between 4,000 and 5,000 customers since recreational cannabis sales began Jan. 1.

The company’s main offering is a $99, five-hour bus tour that includes stops at two dispensaries, a grow and a head shop. Smoking pot on the private luxury bus is allowed — and encouraged.

Tourists also can purchase multi-day packages that include stays at cannabis-friendly hotels. Walker said he uses three unnamed hotels — two in Denver and one in Vail — that allow in-room use of cannabis vaporizers and have private outdoor areas for smoking.

In central Denver, The Adagio Bed and Breakfast at 1430 Race St. now bills itself as a “bud and breakfast” that caters to marijuana-oriented travelers.

“Mornings here start between 8:30 and 10:30 with the Wake-and-Bake session, ” the inn’s management states on its home page. “Enjoy an uplifting Sativa strain and a cup of fresh-brewed coffee as our chef prepares a delicious gourmet breakfast. Please alert the staff of any dietary restrictions you may have, as we are able to accommodate!”

The Adagio also hosts a 4:20 happy hour.

“Join us in the communal dining and living areas for some delicious hors d’oeuvres, a selection of beer and wine, and a spread of three different strains of cannabis.

“Whether you’re looking to chill out after a day of exploration or seeking a second wind before a night out, the strain optionsand our knowledgeable staff will help you achieve a perfect head space.”